A/N: heey guys~

Here'sthe new chapter for you, right for the end of the year~

If you're especially lucky, you'll getthe next chapter for new years...^^ but that depends completely on Elsa Shawcross, my beta~

Enjoy and R&R, please~ :3

CHAPTER 16

The week from their last appointment with Bardook and the Goblin trials was mostly spent with studying, on Harry's part, a lot of talks between Severus, Remus and Harry, as well as letters being exchanged between Severus' two godsons, and also two one-day city trips to Edinburgh and Dublin, respectively.

The main reason for the city trips was that Harry needed to see new places, as he hasn't been anywhere else but Surrey, Diagon Alley, King's Cross station, Hogwarts and Hogsmeade.

Severus and Remus were absolutely delighted to see such a carefree and happy expression on Harry's face whenever he saw something new or discovered something he always wanted to see but didn't have the opportunity; one such place was the official shop of the 'Edinburgh Tattoo' where they spent almost two hours and a large amount of money. Once they had left the shop, they also bought a Muggle stereo they intended to charm in running on magic once they were back at Spinner's End.

xXxXx

However, not everyone spent this week as carefree and enjoyable as the three males, especially not a redheaded family living near Ottery St. Catchpole, who had a visitor over for dinner: A certain older man with a long white beard who wore tasteless robes with clashing colours and sujets (beta: I didn't get this?) on it. The happy picture made by the colourful robes also wasn't mirrored on the man's face, and especially not in his, usually twinkling, blue eyes. There were mixed emotions among the people sitting around the kitchen table full of delicious, home-cooked meals.

The patriarch of the family still couldn't get his head around the fact, that the two females of his family have been summoned to appear before court, and one of the Goblins on top of that. And the man who was, at least in a way, responsible for the whole mess was sitting on his table in his house, as he wanted to talk strategy with them to be prepared for the trials two days later.

The three oldest sons were absent as they had to work for the whole week to get the day of the trials off to support their father. They will be back at the Burrow the evening before they had to go to court. The twins, who were closest to Harry, whom they thought of as their favourite younger brother, were staying this week at the Burrow for two reasons only: One, they wanted to morally support their father by being there for him - they closed the shop for the time being out of personal reasons - and two, they wanted to non-stop prank those that hurt their little brother, mainly the woman who gave birth to them - she wasn't their mother anymore - and the girl, until the letters from Bardook arrived, they saw as their little sister. But Ron, the supposed best friend of their little Harrykins, who didn't care one bit about what the Weasley women did to him, didn't go off unscathed.

So far, they charmed Molly's pots and pans so she couldn't cook without getting burned at least five times per half hour cooking, they also made it so the kitchen would never be clean, so she had to spend a vast number of hours a day only cleaning the kitchen. She was so busy trying to cook without getting burned, making new burn salves and cleaning the kitchen, that she didn't find the time to clean anything else in and around the house or to do the laundry, which then will end with Ron, Ginny and her having no clean clothes to wear for the trials. To prevent themselves and their father to get a victim of their prank as well, they had their father give them his dirty laundry, which they then took to their apartment over their shop to clean it.

Ron had so far, had his hair colour change to Slytherin green, combined with silver skin colour, neon pink with not-matching sickly green skin colour, turquoise hair with skin the colour of vomit. Today, he sat on the table with silver hair and Slytherin green skin, as they charmed him to wear the colours reversed after the initial four colour combinations. The coloured hair and skin wasn't all Ron had to endure, no, the way he looked didn't bother him that much, as he had a much worse problem. The prank tormenting him was a curse that made everything he ate taste like ash. No matter what it was, it always tasted just horrible. And as if not being able to eat wasn't enough, he also wasn't able to take any liquid to himself, as it always tasted what he thought, piss tasted like.

And last but not least, there was Ginny, who also got pranked mercilessly. Like with the other two, they got her where it hurt the most. She, who was oh so proud of the way she looked, had her hair losing all its lustre and it was, slowly but steadily, falling out. Every morning, she woke to find new bundles of her long red hair on and around her pillows. She also wasn't able to wear anything but the oldest, most smelling robes. Robes, that had been cast off years ago but weren't burned or anything, since one could always wash them and use them, in parts, to clean. The reason for her new style of clothing was that whenever she put on something nice smelling, clean, stainless, her skin started to itch in a way she had to scratch herself until she started bleeding to even feel a small difference. She still showed the signs of it on her arms, as the clothes also stopped any healing potion from working.

But right now, the two pranksters were looking for a way to get back on the old goat. They thought about also cursing him the way they did Ron, so he wouldn't be able to eat or drink anything without it tasting like ash or piss, respectively. But more than anything else, they wanted to humiliate him, take away the one thing he liked most about himself, hit him where it would hurt the most. For Albus -too-many-middle-names-Dumbledore, that would be his image in the public eye, but before they would publically humiliate the headmaster, they will ask Harry what he thought of their idea. For now, they only cursed him as soon as he left the Burrow.

xXxXx

The strategy planning later that evening didn't go over that well, as neither of the defendants was able to find a defense attorney who was willing to work in a Goblin court. This meant that they had to defend themselves on their own without any legal support. After that realization, they started talking back and forth, getting louder by the minute, about what to say and how to behave to get the best possible result. This went on until Arthur interrupted them.

"You both do know that the Goblins use a truth serum ten times as effective as Veritaserum in their trials?" he asked, "And unlike with Veritaserum, there isn't any way around it, not even a month's supply of your Lemon Drops eaten in the hours before the trials will work to render this truth serum ineffective, Albus. And they use that serum on everyone, regardless if one is a defendant or a witness. This is one reason, why no one wants to ever be brought before the Goblin's court."

An awkward silence fell. Both, the always plotting old man and the overbearing woman, had been shocked into silence with this revelation. They realised, that they didn't have any way out of paying for every misdeed they did on one Harry Potter. The thoughts coursing through everyone's minds were sometimes alike, and some differed.

'No, this can't be happening! What if they ask me, if I'm still a virgin? What if mum and dad find out that I slept with guys since the beginning of my third year?'

'I really am curious if our youngest brother was involved in the whole thing in some way or another? Because he really reacted way to calm for someone who just found out that his own mother and little sister were stealing from his best mate. Maybe we will find out, how real the friendship between the members of the Gryffindor Golden Trio really are.'

'There has to be a way to avoid being given this stupid truth serum or to at least render it ineffective! If only Severus would be at the school and hadn't taken some time off! I really can't have them finding out what else I have done. After all, it was all for the greater good. Okay, it might be for my greater good, but that doesn't have to be known by anybody. I have to go back as soon as possible to research this blasted liquid.'

'Unbelievable! They have to defend themselves in front of a Goblin court in two days and didn't read anything on Goblin trials to know what to expect? Did they think they could just sit there, tell the goblins a bunch of lies and be done with it? There is a reason everyone standing trial hopes to never have to appear in front of a goblin jury, for Merlin's sake! I'm wondering the longer the more how I ever fell in love with this dense woman and how I could ever look at Albus as a role model.'

'Bloody hell! Why didn't anyone tell me that the witnesses are also given this bloody truth serum? If Harry ever finds out what I did I will lose any chance to ever getting famous like I will by being the best friend of the Boy-who-lived and helping him defeating You-Know-Who. And if I won't get famous, I'll actually have to work to get a job, like being the keeper of the Chudley Cannons or an Auror.'

'Trying them before a Goblin jury was the best prank Harry could ever pull to get back at those traitors. I think, I will write a letter later tonight to a lovely blonde woman. Because I think, she really should come to the trials with us, as there is no other reporter in Britain that talented in twisting facts and ruining people's reputation. I only need to get her oath to not slander my cute, little brother in her stories about what happened in the court. Oh, this is going to be so much fun!'

xXxXx

*~* Gringotts London Branch, the day of the trials *~*

When Harry, Severus and Remus left Bardook's office to wait in the entry hall for the beginning of the first trial, they were met with an unfamiliar sight. The normally, quite close-knitted Weasley family were separated into two parties.

On one side of the hall were Arthur Weasley and his sons, save his youngest, accompanied by Rita Skeeter, her photographer, all the members of the original 'Golden Team', and some other friends of Harry's, including Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood with her usual dreamy look on her face.

On the other side of the hall were one Albus Dumbledore, the Weasley women and Ron, as well as Hermione, who was holding onto the red head's hand. When asked by the twins about how they could stand with the traitors, they answered: "No matter what they did, they still are my mother and my sister and I stand by my family, unlike some others." and "No matter what, I will stand with my boyfriend. And Mrs. Weasley made a mistake, I can admit that, but everyone is allowed to make mistakes. After all, this is a way for us to learn, by making mistakes!' respectively.

Both answers were surprising for most of Harry's friends and family, as Ron never really was one for knowing how the family actually acted around one another. After all, he used to bully Percy in every way possible once he went to Hogwarts. He also made fun of the twins for dreaming about owning a store to sell their pranks to make a living doing what they loved. Hermione's answer was surprising, as everyone knew how rule loving she was, after all, for the last five years at school she always said that mistakes can't be useful in anyway except getting into trouble and being punished for it. Also, she always told how immature Ron was, and that she would sooner go out with Aragog than Ron Weasley.

As they haven't been seen yet, they all took in the rest of the hall and realised, that there was a third group of people obviously waiting for the trials to start. On a closer look Harry recognized them as his aunt and uncle, accompanied by a prison warden, who, according to the information they got from Bardook, was a Squib and therefore familiar with the magical word and goblins especially. Also, someone - probably a goblin - must have put up some kind of silencing ward around the two Muggles and the Squib, as the couple's nephew could see the tell tales of his uncle being in a very dangerous - for his health, usually - mood, screaming all the time about something. And by the reactions of Petunia and the warden, whoever put up those wards was compassionate, as there had to be some other kind of silencing spell around the Squib.

After realizing that there was no one else there besides them and the three groups, they made their way to the largest group, where the young man got instantly tackled by two identical looking red heads, as well as a burly older teen and three girls.

"Oh Harry, -"

"-our dearest cute-"

"-little brother!"

"We are so incredibly-"

"-sorry that we didn't realize-"

"-what was going on!"

"Well, we did realize,-"

"-that we got something-"

"-new more often once-"

"-we started in our third year,-"

"-but we just thought, that-"

"it either was something mum-"

"-and dad would do with/for-"

"-every one of their children-"

"-once they start their third-"

"-year at Hogwarts."

"The other reason we-"

"-came up with, was, that-"

"-dad had gotten quite a rise-"

"-at the ministry."

"But, please, don't-"

"-let their betrayal take-"

"-you down! Because-"

"-your family and friends stand-"

"-united-"

"-behind you. We all-"

"-care about you, for some,-"

"-you are the one person-"

"-who actually knows them,-"

"-who took the time and made-"

"-a real effort, to get to know them,-"

"-for some, you are the one person,-"

"-who stands behind them in everything-"

"-they do or attempt to do."

"And for the most of them,-"

"-us included,-"

"-you are family! Never forget-"

"-that, little brother!"

"We all care about you and want you-"

"-to be happy. No matter-"

"-whom you decide to date,-"

"-which side you will be on-"

"-once you decide, where you-"

"-stand in this war, and not just-"

"-do, what everyone else-"

"-namely, the Wizarding world,-"

"-expects of you. We will-"

"-ALWAYS-"

"-support you!"

"Thank you, Gred and Forge! You can't imagine what it means to me that all of you are here for me today. But would it be possible for you to let me go for a minute? Because I'd like to talk to your father."

"That is not a problem at all,-"

"-little brother."

Harry then went over to Arthur Weasley. "Hello, Mr. Weasley. Could I have a word with you?"

"Sure thing, Harry. Let's go over there for a little privacy.

Now, what is it that you wanted to talk to me about?"

"I wanted to apologize to you for not telling you ahead of Bardook's letter what was going on. But everything went quite fast, one day, I was on my way back to my relatives, the next I was at Gringotts, and had a goblin not only tell me that I had more than a million times the money I thought of and lots of titles, but also that the people I thought of a grandfatherly mentor, a mother figure and a little sister were stealing from me, from my parent's money that they left me. And if that wouldn't have been enough, they withheld from me not only my parents' wills, but also my entire heritage! Can you imagine, just how many faux pas I made over the years, as everyone was told that I grew up learning everything etiquette-wise, but didn't have any idea something like this even existed? Damn, Draco Malfoy could have called a blood feud over how I refused to accept his hand on our first ride to Hogwarts. And Ron, not knowing anything about etiquette either, didn't have the necessary knowledge to inform me that I made a horrible mistake! I mean, I know, that you don't have a lot of money, but how come he, being a Pureblood, doesn't know anything about our customs and traditions, as well as the main rules of Wizarding etiquette?

Because I know that the twins and Percy know them, or at least the important ones, though not those of the high society. And at least the twins didn't open a book to learn it. I don't know Bill or Charlie good enough to tell, but I could imagine that at least Bill, who works with the goblins, knows etiquette. But on the other hand, Ginny doesn't really know either. Because a pureblood who was raised knowing a minimum of etiquette would know better than to screw with different boys every month, starting with thirteen.

"I am sorry you had to find out now of all times, but I think, your sons were too ashamed of her behaviour, dishonouring her whole family with it, than to tell you and Ron doesn't even realize what is going on with her, though the whole school talks about her. And after showing this lack of etiquette during the last two years, she possesses the audacity to write the goblins, calling herself my fiancée! She even started telling everybody who would listen how I was going to propose to her on her fifteenth birthday and how we are going to wed after she graduates and how we'll live in my parents' house at Godric's Hollow. Merlin, she even tells them how we plan to have two children, a boy and a girl, and that we'll name them James Arthur and Lily Molly, after our parents. And when they ask her why we aren't together, she says that I would be just too shy to ask her out. When she then is confronted about her screwing a different boy every month, she answers that I would know about and agree with her as she would only practise for our wedding night. Can you imagine how close she is to completely ruining me? So far, nothing leaked to the press, though I could imagine it to be Dumbledore's doing. After all, it wouldn't look good, if his little pawn would be involved in a sex scandal about allowing and supporting his supposed fiancé to sleep around, starting at the age of thirteen and not himself, but a different boy almost every time! I am the lord of multiple houses, like Potter, Black, LeFey, Viperian and Cantarel, to only name a few, as well as being the heir to three of the four Hogwarts founders. Having Ginny as my girlfriend alone would, politically, ruin me for five to ten years. You know, I am not one who cares about money or being a lord, but I have responsibilities, if I like them or not. I am always in the public's eye. I can't do much without the papers writing about it. And we are at war. There might come a time, where I have to use my political power, as both, the Boy-who-lived and the lord of sixteen houses, three of them being those of the founders. And I won't risk this by getting in a scandal because of a girl that cannot tell the difference between bedtime stories and reality, because of a girl who might have learned some manners but replaces it for screwing around."

Arthur Weasley was shocked into silence. He had no idea about how his youngest two behaved at school. He taught all his sons the main parts of etiquette, as they probably would never need to know the finer things, but if they wanted to learn those as well, he had happily taught those to his sons, namely Bill and Percy. Charlie was more interested in his dragons and other animals and told him, he wouldn't need the knowledge of finer etiquette around beasts, and the twins were more interested in pranking and thought, they won't need it to sell their pranks, but all three of them agreed, that, should they ever need this knowledge, they would come to their father, so he could help them. Ron, on the other hand, never really was interested in something as 'banal' as etiquette, he thought it unnecessary to know that you have to close your mouth while chewing food, how to hold a fork, as long as he was able to shovel the food from his plate into his mouth. He even thought it was unnecessary to know how one properly greeted other people according to their status in relation to one's own, no, he thought that a simple 'hi' was enough effort of greeting someone, be it a beggar, or a professor, or even the Queen of England. The formal education of Ginny, on the other hand, had been Molly's responsibility, as a man might teach a girl what he learns by watching other women, but the finer details, such as curtseying and other specific things, just needed to be taught from woman to girl.

"I am really sorry, Harry, I had no idea whatsoever, of any of this. I taught all of my sons the basics of etiquette, the finer details if they were willing to learn them. So far, only Bill and Percy took me up on that offer, though Charlie, Fred and George promised, that, should they ever need this knowledge, they'll come to me. Ron, on the other hand, was, as you might imagine, quite difficult to teach, therefore, after trying to get him to understand the simplest things like closing your mouth while chewing, or how to hold your cutlery properly, or also, how to properly greet someone according to status, for more than two years, I just gave up. I got tired of telling him every time we ate or someone came over, or we met someone outside or went for a visit, how he should do it. I just hoped, he would never have to pay a price for missing this knowledge. Ginny's, on the other hand, was Molly's responsibility, because a man can teach his daughter only as much about etiquette for women as he can observe on different occasions. But a woman needs the knowledge of the finer details more than a man, as there are so much more things one has to look after being a woman.

Your example is the best, to clean your record of her sleeping around, you only have to swear a wizards oath in a public place, with you being a students, the Great Hall at dinner time, that you never promised Ginny anything, that you never will promise her anything and that everything, she told around about you knowing and supporting her screwing around, her ever being the mother of your children and everything else she told related to this, was made up by her. Also you, being who you are, you should probably write up a statement to be published in every paper if the country about this things not being true.

This trial here today will help you, especially, as Ms. Skeeter is the reporter. And once this is done, you should repeat those actions, but this time about how you were raised by Muggles, not knowing about the Wizarding world until you got your letter, and that you didn't know of your entire heritage until earlier this summer. Add an apology for everyone you should have unknowingly offended, and everyone should be able to give you a second chance. With that, your political and social standing should be saved until you maneuver yourself into a sticky situation."

"Thank you, Mr. Weasley, for your advice. And just so you know, as long as no one of your family, besides your wife and daughter, was involved, I don't blame you! And I also won't accept it if you want to pay me back what they took. If you feel like using this money otherwise, give it to charities or go travel and visit both your sons that work abroad. Just put the money to good use.

Because, had you ever asked me for money if you didn't know how to pay for food and stuff, I would have given it to you, without wanting anything back. Because, when I arrived at the Burrow before second year, you gave me something you cannot buy with money. You gave me the love of a family. I learnt then, how it would have been if my parents would have still been alive. I might have been a big brother instead of the little brother at least your twins see me as, but it would have, essentially, been the same. Because with my relatives, I just saw the example of terrible parenting. I mean, they praised my cousin even if he did something wrong. He got almost forty presents on his eleventh birthday. He learned no manners what so ever, ate the whole day sugary and or fat things, he is almost as wide as he is tall. At your home, there was praise for doing something, but you got scolded and punished for doing something wrong, and the punishments were almost always according to the misdeed done. The only thing you probably shouldn't have done, or at least not that often, was sending howlers to the school. It's one of the most humiliating things one has to suffer through in a school full of teenagers when everyone hears how your mother scolds you for something. "

Harry wanted to say something else, but Bardook came to the entrance hall to tell them that the first trial was about to start and everyone should follow him inside. Even all the witnesses could be inside from the start, as every single one got tested under the truth serum.